the bloodrush
of
the brain
drinking the heart,
the air smelled of smoke
before
the fires were lit.
blades sang as
they were rubbed against
the
stone.
“you there!” he called.
“who put this
fuckin
thing in the sink?”
it was a letter of
peace.
it was a
dove.
the army marched to
Carnegie Hall
so
the case might
be heard.
“what is this blood-stink
in
the mud?”
someone asked.
“that is
yet
to come,” he said.
peace be upon the land,
one way
or the other.
he kicked over Bonaparte.
he elbowed Oppenheimer
in
the ribs.
“you blasted cheapskate-fucks!”
he cried.
“I’ll teach you how to kill!”
the ode went on. chains clinked.
a radio played protest
songs.
Jesus wept.
they arrived at Carnegie Hall
and found a
table had been set
for
them.
someone tapped
the head of a
microphone,
and
then the
lights
went
out,
wine poured out,
wine sloshed,
Homer explained.
— Allen Seward is a poet from the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. His work has appeared in Scapegoat Review, JAKE, miniMAG, Streetcake Magazine, Skyway Journal, and The Big Windows Review, among others. He currently resides in WV with his partner and four cats. @AllenSeward1 on Twitter, @allenseward0 on Instagram